Les vignes in Paris

[nanbanane]

Firstly: We are going to Paris end of September til mid-October. I read in a guide that there was a "vendanges" celebration the first Saturday in October in Monmartre. What is it exactly? Is it fun? Is it touristy or local?

Secondly: We are renting an apartment on rue Coquilliere in the 1er (near Forum Les Halles) if you have any suggestions on interesting markets, patisseries, boulangers etc. in the area as well as affordable bistros and not to be missed restaurants. We would like to stay in a reasonable budget (under 50 euros) but can afford to splurge for two or three meals.

Thirdly, I've read a lot about Transversal, went to their website, is it better to try it at lunch or dinner?

Fourthly: I am a designer and saw photos of the interior of Maxan restaurant. I definetely want to go see it closer, is it very expensive to eat there? and are there any other modern restaurants that are worth checking out on a design standpoint?

Je vous remercie d'avance.

[Felice]

Firstly: We are going to Paris end of September til mid-October. I read in a guide that there was a "vendanges" celebration the first Saturday in October in Monmartre. What is it exactly? Is it fun? Is it touristy or local?

The vendanges is the wine harvest and montmartre celebrates its harvest each year with a festival. I unfortunately haven't been, but Im sure it would be a lot of fun and is probably a mix of tourists and locals. I tried to check to see what the dates were but found conflicting information on two sites and their official site isn't working. I will definitely put it in the events when it gets closer to October.

Thirdly, I've read a lot about Transversal, went to their website, is it better to try it at lunch or dinner?

Here a discussion about Transversal from when it first opened.

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[John Talbott]

Firstly: We are going to Paris end of September til mid-October. I read in a guide that there was a "vendanges" celebration the first Saturday in October in Monmartre. What is it exactly? Is it fun? Is it touristy or local?

Depends on your definition of local and touristy. I live a few blocks from the route and never miss it. It features "local" "celebrities" like the Mayor of Montmartre in an antique car, groups of wine enthusiasts (third age mind you) from the major wine growing regions wearing regional dress, our own friends of Montmartre singing group and "toy soldiers" - a sort of Tivoli come South and depending on the invitees, sometimes even pom-pom girls from California or jazz musicians from the rest of the US. The one thing you should not be seduced by is the wine itself but apart from that it's fun.

Secondly: We are renting an apartment on rue Coquilliere in the 1er (near Forum Les Halles) if you have any suggestions on interesting markets, patisseries, boulangers etc. in the area as well as affordable bistros and not to be missed restaurants. We would like to stay in a reasonable budget (under 50 euros) but can afford to splurge for two or three meals.

There was a thread on the area a while back.

Thirdly, I've read a lot about Transversal, went to their website, is it better to try it at lunch or dinner?

As Felice says, check the thread.

Fourthly: I am a designer and saw photos of the interior of Maxan restaurant. I definetely want to go see it closer, is it very expensive to eat there? and are there any other modern restaurants that are worth checking out on a design standpoint?

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Maxan is modern and reasonably priced but I've found it inconsistent (twice nice, once pretty bad). There are a ton of modern places - Kube, Pinxo, Cinq Mars, Ze - if you like Philippe Starck, I'll bet you can Google all the places he's touched.

Edited by John Talbott to include thread link.

Edited August 27, 2006 by John Talbott (log)

[Ptipois]

Fourthly: I am a designer and saw photos of the interior of Maxan restaurant. I definetely want to go see it closer, is it very expensive to eat there? and are there any other modern restaurants that are worth checking out on a design standpoint?

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As a designer you should definitely take a look at Liza, a modern Lebanese restaurant on rue de la Banque (close to the Bourse). The food is nice (great desserts), though much overpriced, but the interior design is beautiful.

I'm also a sucker for the inside rooms and salons of the Café Marly, at the Louvre, in spite of my general defiance of Costes places. This one is really well done.

I'll also advise you to have a drink at the Chao Ba café, on place Pigalle, at daytime. A very peculiar, but remarkable, mixture of nice design with a bit of sloppiness that you can't really identify as intentional or not. Every time I go there I'm not sure what period I live in.

I'll keep you posted if anything else comes to my mind.

[nanbanane]

Merci for all your input! We are so looking forward to discovering Paris. I'll look into Liza.

[John Talbott]

Turns out there's another thread from 2004 on the fete des vendanges. You might want to check it out.

[Daddy-A]

It turns out my wife & I will be in Paris the very weekend of this year's Fête (Website). Since I'm awlays willing to take one for the team, I'll be sure to bring the camera and post anything "interesting."

A.

[Daddy-A]

I went, I photographed, I posted.

Fetes report HERE

A.

[Felice]

I went, I photographed, I posted.

Fetes report HERE

A.

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What an amazing report! Thank you so much. It makes me long for a weekend in the countryside.